why do girls generally not go as big as guys. dallas friday the obvious exception. how come womens is considered a lower level? if one can do as good as the guys why not all of you? i guess what my main question is what is it that holds you back from unleashing and goin huge?

I can only speak for myself. IMHO, I try to think about things before I go out and do them. If I know my skills are not at that level then I won't do it. I've tried to go "huge" before on other things such as dirtbikes and snowboarding and I almost killed myself. I just can't risk injuring myself really badly, people depend on me. Anyway, maybe if I had more time to practice then I would be pulling out crazier tricks. Until then, I'll just have fun and push it a little at a time. However, the one exception for me is surfing. I surf all the time and will charge anything my guy friends will charge (well..maybe you won't see me surfing 30 ft. pipeline or Teahupoo any time soon). So far my record's 15 ft. and that was scary enough as it. Hope that answers your question, I'm sure it's different for everyone.

im scared when i go out and try stuff too, you just gotta go for it. i think thats what really hold alot of people back, they're scared. theres nothing wrong with it, butyou just have to overcome your fears

It's a mental thing.. I think a lot of girls think about the consequences of what happens if you dont make it. Girls like Friday, and of late Meaghan Major, are throwing some big stuff (like Meaghans SKEEZER!!)I know for myself I am too worried about how bad something is gonna hurt.. lately I have been jsut saying to myself "you'll never know if you dont try it" and the things i've beendoing have been biger, farther in the flats, and sometimes, yard-saling more.. but it's a metal block I think girls just experience more.. it may be because we're supposed to be daintly and delicate and not be doing what the boys do to begin with. Grant, it makes me feel good to see a guy like you pushing the girls to go the same. Thanks.

Hahahahahahahaaha, why do girls not wakeboard as good as guys. You know it is amazing how many times I get asked that question. Let me ask another, why don't girls play football? baseball? Why don't you see many women working in construction or on oil rigs. Didn't you learn anything in history class? Women aren't supposed to sweat or grunt or do anything dangerous. hehe, sarcasm. Honestly though, this question is asked a lot and most of the time the men ask this to get a rise out of us ladies. Maybe we don't want to, ever thought of that? I mean, guys go big and learn the big tricks because they want to, right? Maybe we just don't want to. By nature, women are not as rough and tumble as guys are, we aren't as strong, as hard core, as daring, that right there should answer your question. Yes, there are a few (very few) that will push the limits, but in general women just aren't going to push themselves to the limits that guys will. I take most of my tricks wake to wake, I could take every one of them in the flats if I wanted to, but landing in the flats hurts me, so I don't do it. Ok, sorry if I'm coming across as harsh, I just don't see why people have to keep asking that question. Yes, compared to the men, we suck, ok, are you happy, is that what you want to hear. BUT! because we suck, that leaves a LOT of room for improvement where the guys have pretty much reached the limitations of wakeboarding. Women will continue to land new tricks for years, while guys will struggle to differentiate themselves from the rest of the crowd because there are no tricks left for them to invent. Guys have done every invert possible with spins and grabs. Really all they can do now is grab differently or add another flip or 180. Women still have sooo many tricks left to perfect that the strive will be there for years to come. If I could land 90% or more of the possible wakeboarding tricks I think I would take up wakeskating, because what fun is it if there is no goal anymore, I already go out and do the same thing over and over, it just takes less time to go through my arsenal, and when I get a wild hair I try something new. I know that I have gotten bored with watching wakeboarding videos because they are all guys doing the same thing, wow, a grabbed KGB, pete rose, whirly 5, ts 9 combo. Why not put Meghan's Skeezer in a video, or Dallas's OHH and Batwing. At least it's not a guy doing it. I know that when I read the results of the pro tour stops I skip right over the guys to read what the winning women's run was to see if anything new was landed. Ok, wow, I've inspired myself to go try something this afternoon... cool. Thanks, you have rekindled my fire for progression. Thank goodness I'm not as good a Shapiro or I would have nothing to strive for. (sarcasm on that last sentence)

For those of you whose blood is boiling, there is a LOT of sarcasm in this post, but a lot of truth. I have kindly labeled some of the sarcasm because I know it is hard to distinguish over the net. Now that I've put the audience to sleep I shall quietly step away from my soapbox. Oh yeah, the common sense thing may come into play as well... hehehe Later Tiffany PS, check out www.ten-80.com

I go as big as I can go. I have always done everything wake to wake. That's the way I started out. I'm in the process of learning three inverts havent landed them yet but getting very close. Wearing a helmet helps me with fear. Girls are progressing......now that a lot more are getting into the sport.

I'm with HYPO, just a few weekends ago I was on the boat with 6 new guys all of them rolling their eyes thinking to themselves "can she ride?" One guy saw me walking up with my board and helmet, then said that their racks were broke and could only take 4 boards, then immediately looked at me and said since you are the girl and probably can't ride you can leave yours behind, we have a "girl board on the boat already". I stuck to my guns and said, thanks but if my board stays on the dock so do I!!! I ended up on the boat, with my board, they offered me first up; my rule of thumb NEVER take first up on a new boat! So two riders went out, they were decent, then I stepped up to the plate and rode. Hands down I dropped all the jaws in the boat! Every single one of those guys were like WTF , she hell of sand bagged! Your right I did I sand bagged. I'm decent, I have consistency and flow on W2W toe and heal side (I've been told I make riding look easy and I have perfect form and not just for a girl). I throw some grabs, just tossed a few 180's W2W and now I start back on the back roll that I once had a mental block on! Needless to say they asked me to come back out with them and yes, I've been getting the phone calls to ride!!

I think girls are more or less a little bit more afraid of getting hurt, but really I think this depends on the girl and I know I don't fit in that category!

Honestly i dont know why girls dont go all out, but dont get me wrong, im sure there are plenty of girls out there that do. Im kind of in between. Ive tried some backrolls and are actually pretty close. A couple of my friends wakeboard and one of them is all talk. She was telling us that she was so close to clearning the wake and all this stuff, then we actually took her out to ride with us and she could barely go over the wake. If your gonna talk like that, you better do it. Anyway i personally dont know whats holding me back from trying all the big inverts and stuff except for the fact that i dont like to fall, though i dont know what im so scared of. But today i was doing this edging drill from "The Book" and ate  bad. I was riding switch and was in the process of doin a surface 180 back to regular and totally caught my edge and ate  hurt sooo bad i thought i was knocked out for a sec, but i kept on riding and rode better the rest of the day than i had in a long time.

So basically what im saying is, there are some girls that are scared to death of getting hurt, but it doesnt hurt that bad for so long. Just go for it, more people will respect you if you do. For example our local marina holds contests every wednesday night and so far the past 4 weeks, im the only girl they can get to sign up. So i have to ride with the guys. It's good because it pushes me to be just as good if not better than them. It gives me something to work at.

So all girl riders out there, dont quit no matter what happens. Go out there and try anything and everything. One day your bound to land it if you try enought. And also ask Q's. If you dont know what your doing wrong ask someone that knows what they are talkin about and it will help.

I can understand the thing about wanting to be able to have tricks to learn, but personally, I would rather learn quickly and try new stuff than finally learning tricks the guys can already do. There's always new stuff to try. You don't know what's possible until you succeed at the impossible.

But, more on the difference between guys and girls... Almost all the women I've met have a little something I like to call "Self Preservational Skills." In other words, a will to live. Every once in a while we forget about this, and that's the best time to wakeboard. You know, the times when you get out there and think, "What is the stupidest possible thing I could do right now?" and then charge the wake. Good times.

Now, I'm not all that good, I can't even go w2w yet, but anyone who's faceplanted knows what it feels like. I think Grant is right, it's just about overcoming your fears.

Bailey ... I must of lost my self preservation the day I started riding! Wakeboarding is always a good time for me and I'm so comfortable with what tricks I do now I make things look easy. This past weekend one of the guys brought along his girlfriend and she was so shocked she couldn't really say anything. Personally I had a bad day on my board and had my ass handed to me but, I'm heading back out this weekend for more fun in the sun and punishment. I guess I'm just one of those no guts no glory kind of girls.

Jamie - I thought about doing the comps, we have some here every Thursday in Sacramento, but I can't get off work in time to make the comps. We have a pretty big comp coming up on the 27th, called the Hangtime Open, but again I'm not sure I want to enter it. My guy friends are pushing me to enter, but for me wakeboarding is about having fun, not competing! I guess for me I don't want to lose the stoke and the drive, I just want to have a good time and push myself to my limits, not to a comps limits. I don't diss those girls that ride in them, heck I would encourage any girl to enter; it's just not my thing!

I'm all about the riding and having a good time. I'm all about going big, then going home later! This weekend I went home with my head hung low, a concusion, bruised ribs, sore back, whip lash and the desire to get right back up on the board that bucked me off and do it all over again. Like I said I'm a pretty decent rider until it comes to doing new stuff like I was this weekend!!!GIDDY UP GIRLS LET'S RIDE!!!!

Teri - Thats exactly what i was saying too before my neighbor that had just boughten me a new board / bindings set-up, kinda made me enter. Im still the only girl to enter, and actually i just got a call from them and it was cancelled again because there werent enought people signed up, it sucks. But i was just riding for fun too. And thats what out contests are all about. I dont know how big your are, but obviously our arent very big as we cant even get people to sign up. But im not worried about winning now, i just like to ride behind the kick a$$ boat! So think about this, wakeboarding is all about fun right?? Then whem you enter contests, just have fun. If your all nervous and stuff, (like i was the first time) then your not gonna ride so good. Relas and act as if you were just with your friends out on the river/lake. Wakeboarders are the coolest peolple ever. Everyone encourages everyone to get better and push themselves. Its not like a team sport where you have people getting mad at you if you screw up, its so much differnt than that. No one cares really how good you are, its the fact that your getting out there and trying have have an awesome time wakeboarding!!

But im like you, i either go big, or go home. I think its the greatest sport ever and i will ride till i cant walk anymore!!

Dang it people! Quit talking about going big and pushing yourself! Geez, you are getting me way too stoked about trying some stupid stuff today! Teri and Jamie, I will send you two my medical bill when I get cold cobbed tonight trying off axis spins and raleys, how does that make you feel! Ok, my boarding crew better come through for me tonight, they have punked out on me the last 3 times I've been really stoked to wakeboard. The water better be butter too cause the wakeskate is coming out for raley practice! Later Tiff

Tiff - you can send the medical bill, but if we were really any friends of yours we'd all be in the hospital together! Go ahead, send me the bill , but expect to get it back a few days later unpaid . I'll be going big this weekend!!! Might catch a pull tomorrow to stretch out all my weekend kinks ... Good luck on the Raily!!!